As in previous versions, SFP10's interface is very clean and easy to navigate. I always like to dock the toolbars on the top and left side of the main work area, but you can customize it however you want. The addition of customizable window layouts and floating window docks is nice to see as many of us have become accustomed to those features on our NLE's and larger multitrack audio applications. One of the nicest new features is event-based editing. This allows you to split your files into subsections (events) and easily edit placement, fades, and crossfades non-destructively. Save this layout for further editing later, or "flatten" it to a standard audio file format. If any of these or other features vex you, the integrated interactive tutorials light the path and make it easy to get up to speed.
SFP10 has way too many features to list here, so I'll try to concentrate on the new ones. Event-based editing brings non-destructive editing capabilities to Sound Forge -- something I've wanted to see here for a long time -- thank you, Sony! In terms of number, most of the new features involve workflow enhancement. From floating window docks to customizable grid lines and the ability to set default fade types, SFP10 offers a good number of ways to make it work exactly the way you want it to.
Atop the "wow factor" scale though, the new timestretch and pitch shifting tools sound way better than those previously included with the addition of the new Zplane Élastique Pro timestretch and pitch shift plugin. With realtime preview and the ability to adjust pitch and time separately, this plugin is close to the quality of some stand-alone programs costing more than the entire SFP10 package! More practically speaking, it sounded great on music clips, allowing you to easily alter the timing of your music clips. It also sounded very good on the spoken word, which could make it a wonderfully creative tool for altering the inflection or timing of recorded dialog if ADR isn't a practical option for you! Also, along those lines (though not a tool new to SFP10) the inclusion of the Sony Noise Reduction 2 plugin could also help you save production dialog tracks by reducing HVAC and other background noises.
The update to iZotope Mastering Effects Bundle 2 (valued at $200+) includes Mastering EQ, Mastering Reverb, Mastering Limiter, Mastering Stereo Imager, Mastering Harmonic Exciter, and Multiband Compressor. These plugins give you the ability to put final touches on your stems and mixes. They also work very well with individual clips, like making an explosion really huge without causing clipping, etc. Like any other processor, these should be used judiciously -- don't overdo it or you'll wreck the dynamic contrast of your sound which, in my opinion, distracts from the story being told in the film and doesn't pull people in as much.
